1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in bindings for board athletic equipment and, more particularly, to bindings for snow skis and snowboards which enable improved maneuvering of the snowboards and skis.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
The sport of snow skiing has existed for many years and has resulted, not only in improvements in the skis, but in the bindings used in those skis for locking to the boots of the user. More recently, snowboarding has also become a popular sport and, in this case, a binding is secured to the snowboard so that a user may slip his or her boot into the binding for locking to the snowboard.
In the case of snowboards, potentially due to the relative infancy of this sport, little attention has been paid to improving the binding or, for that matter, improving the ability to maneuver the snowboard. Maneuvering of a snow ski and, for that matter, a snowboard, usually is accomplished by a shifting of the weight of the user and his or her position on the snowboard or ski in order effectuate a turning movement. In effect, the snowboard and the ski are essentially controlled by a series of turns. Consequently, it is important for a user to be able to cause a maneuvering of the snow board or ski rapidly and in response to quick changes of body position and weight by the user.
In a ski binding, the ski boot of the user is tightly bound to the ski and, hence, any movement of the user is quickly reflected in the ski or snowboard. However, in the case of snowboards, there is a need for the snowboard user to exert some force either against the rear of the binding or against the side of that snowboard in order to impart that force necessary to achieve certain turning movements. However, in the past, little attention has been given to the improvement of snowboard bindings which would enable a user to apply a sidewards or lateral force to the edge of the snowboard in order to achieve a desired movement. As a result, in order to properly maneuver a snowboard, the user had to exercise a substantial degree of skill or otherwise use a substantial amount of force to cause a maneuvering of the snowboard. However, heretofore, snowboard bindings have only been designed to hold an athletic boot to the ski or snowboard. They have not been designed to provide an aid or assist to a user in making a turn or otherwise stopping the snowboard.